Meanwhile, Steve Jobs has been careening through the tech world like a drunken frat boy at a high society luncheon -- bashing longtime partner Adobe, trashing Android as a haven for porn, defending the ban on apps for their sexual or political content while allowing others with similar sexual or political content, and so on. That is, he's pretty much acting like it's Steve's world, and he just lets us live in it.

Apple executives have often behaved as though the ultimate custody and control of information lies with them, and the company has gone to extraordinary lengths to protect its interests. Yet for all of its spectacular achievements, Apple is exhibiting a remarkable tone-deafness in the issue at hand. As Apple is changing into a media company, as well, its Silicon Valley brand of aggression is running up against its broader ambitions.